Bipartisan Proposal To Extend Voting Rights To 17-Year-Olds

A California state lawmaker wants to expand voting rights to 17-year-olds.

The voting age hasn't changed since 1971 when the 26th Amendment extended the franchise to 18-year-olds. Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low of San Jose and Silicon Valley says he wants to boost turnout by teaching young people to make voting a lifelong habit.

"We want people to vote early and vote often. As a millennial myself, I thought it was very important for us to encourage young people to participate," Low says.

To amend the California constitution, the measure would need to pass with a two-thirds majority from the Senate and Assembly, and then voters would make the final decision in 2018.

Cody Drabble learned to love public radio growing up in San Francisco with KQED on every morning during breakfast. In addition to producing and directing the live broadcast of Insight each morning, he also fills in as guest host for Beth Ruyak. Read Full Bio